The Scout Report - September 18, 1998

The Scout Report

September 18, 1998

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators. However, everyone is welcome to subscribe to one of the mailing lists (plain text or HTML). Subscription instructions are included at the end of each report.

An Acrobat .pdf version of this report is available for printing and distributing locally. For information on Adobe Acrobat Reader, visit the Adobe site.


In This Issue:

New From Internet Scout

Research and Education

General Interest

Network Tools

Where Are They Now


New From Internet Scout

Scout Report for Science & Engineering
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/sci-engr/
Volume 1, Number 26 of the Scout Report for Science & Engineering is available. It annotates over twenty new and newly discovered Internet resources in the physical & life sciences and engineering. The In the News section annotates eight resources on the efforts to clean up and restore the glory of the Mighty Mississippi. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Research and Education

Geologic Hazards
http://geohazards.cr.usgs.gov/
The Geologic Hazards section of the US Geological Survey (USGS) conducts research into the causes of geological phenomena such as landslides and earthquakes. The homepage connects visitors to the Geologic Hazards team's three main areas of endeavor. Geomagnetism provides links to the National Geomagnetic Information Center; Magnetic Observatories, Models, and Charts; and the Geomagnetic Information Node, which receives geomagnetic observatory data from around the world. The Landslide group studies the "causes and mechanisms of ground failure" to prevent "long-term losses and casualties." Their section provides links to the program and information center, publications, events, and current projects. The Earthquakes department hosts a wealth of information, including neotectonics, engineering seismology, and paleoseismology. Interactive maps are also provided. [KH]
[Back to Contents]

Scholars' Information Requirements in a Digital Age--AHDS
http://ahds.ac.uk/public/uneeds/un0.html
Daniel Greenstein and Sarah Porter of the Arts and Humanities Data Service, a program funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), UK, have authored a study that focuses on strategies to encourage "greater scholarly exploitation of information technologies and digital resources within the arts and humanities." Research for this consultation draft consisted of a literature review and a series of six workshops. The study provides perspectives on information requirements in the digital age from information professionals and scholars in five different disciplines (based on workshop findings). The draft further explores obstacles to scholarly use of digital resources and suggests strategies for overcoming them. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Center for International Health Information (CIHI) [.pdf]
http://www.cihi.com/
The CIHI Website provides data on current status and trends in population, nutrition, and health for developing countries that receive USAID assistance. Country, regional, and time series data are available in tables in either text or .pdf format for sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Near East, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Indicators include infant and maternal mortality, nutritional status, vaccination coverage, contraceptive use, and population and fertility rates. Users can download Global Health Data Viewer (GHDV) software containing over 60 indicators from 200 countries from the site. GHDV allows users to display a selected single point in time or time series data in spreadsheet or graphic form for manipulation or export to other programs. Other sections of the site contain reports of USAID projects and links to international population and health information sources. [GW]
[Back to Contents]

Two New Reports from the USDA
International Agricultural Baseline Projections to 2007 [.pdf]
http://www.econ.ag.gov/epubs/pdf/aer767/
World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) Report [.pdf]
http://www.usda.gov/oce/waob/wasde/wasde.htm
The US Department of Agriculture offers these two reports relating to international food production and demand. The Economic Research Service (ERS) of the USDA produced the first report, which provides baseline projections for international supply, demand, and trade for major agricultural commodities to the year 2007. The report is offered in .pdf format only and includes an introduction and separate sections for major agricultural products such as wheat, soybeans, rice, cotton, beef, and pork. The WASDE Report, authored by World Agricultural Board, is released each month in text and .pdf formats. The report includes overviews of supply and demand for key commodities illustrated with 27 detailed tables. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Global Trends Menu--UN Cyberschoolbus [.pdf]
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/special/globo/glotrend/
The UN Cyberschoolbus (discussed in the December 2, 1997 Scout Report for Social Sciences) Global Trends Menu enables teachers to quickly access useful and free visual aids for social studies instruction. The site offers a wide variety of charts and graphs in the following subject areas: Population, Health, Food and Agriculture, Women, Children, Economic Development, Climate and Environment, and Social Indicators. Most visual aids can be downloaded, and teachers are welcome to submit requests for specific graphs not currently available at the site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Project DIAL
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/special/dial/
This prototype project by the Asian Development Bank studies the potential use of the Internet to assist policy makers and legislators "in the developing member countries (DMCs) of the Asian Development Bank." However, lawyers and political scientists interested in these countries will also find numerous interesting and useful items. The project is comprised of three features. The first, DIAL Index, is a collection of links to online legislative resources. The second and most useful section of the site is DIAL Search, which allows users to conduct automated remote (Web spider) searches of full-text documents from selected legislation sites. The third feature, DIALogue, is an email-based facility which allows authorized users to submit questions to a DIALogue panel of legal specialists. Unfortunately, only government officials in DMCs or related legal professionals may become authorized users. However, interested users are free to use the rest of the site. Additional features at Project DIAL include a Project Report and a What's New section. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

wNetSchool
http://www.wnet.org/wnetschool/
wNetSchool merges the resources of public television programs with Internet-based resources and lesson plans created by veteran teachers to provide an integrated tool for K-12 educators. Registered teachers (registration is free) can consult Web Experts, learn about select software applications, refer to the Internet primer for basic information, read the monthly bulletin, browse a list of annotated links, and search the National Teacher Training Institute for Math, Science, and Technology's (NTTI) Lesson Plan Database. Other wNetSchool sections include Teacher Talk, which offers an online forum for teachers to discuss specific topics, and Student Gallery, a profile of exemplary student projects. [JR]
[Back to Contents]

ISSN Online
http://www.issn.org/ISSNONLINE.html
The ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is the internationally recognized unique numeric identifier for serial publications in any format. To date, the ISSN network, coordinated by the ISSN International Centre in Paris, has registered and assigned ISSNs for more than 900,000 serials, with approximately 4,000 new ISSNs added to the ISSN Register each month. Recently, this register has been made accessible through the Web at ISSN Online. ISSN Online is a subscription service, but it is available for free on a 30-day trial basis. Trial users must register an email address to obtain a temporary password. Then they may conduct 40 queries, view 400 records, and download 10 records during the test period. [AO]
[Back to Contents]

General Interest

Two searchable interfaces to museum collections:
Australian Museums On Line (AMOL)
http://amol.org.au/
Art Museum Image Consortium (AMICO)
http://www.amico.net/
AMOL and AMICO both provide access to museum collection information online. The AMOL Website includes approximately 400,000 item records and some associated images from 51 Australian museums. AMICO is a consortium of art museums in North America formed to increase access to cultural heritage by creating a digital library of images. A Thumbnail Catalog of museum images contributed in AMICO's first year is currently available for searching. Both interfaces offer simple and advanced searches. AMOL users can limit searches to particular material types, such as photographs, records with images, or records from a specific museum. The results list allows users to browse records in a longer format including description and image, or return easily to the list or the search screen. AMICO's search screen is initially a little non-intuitive, since users must enter and select their terms, but once mastered, AMICO allows more precise searching than is usually possible with images. Users can search for American artworks about a particular subject, for example, or combine aspects such as genre or nationality for quite specific searches. [DS]
[Back to Contents]

Healthy People 2010--HHS [.pdf]
http://web.health.gov/healthypeople/
On September 15, Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala released "Healthy People 2010 Objectives: Draft for Public Comment," which proposes more than 500 national objectives for improving the health of Americans by the year 2010. First began in 1979, Healthy People, a national initiative to prevent disease and foster better health, is widely used as a strategic management tool by the Federal Government, States, and local communities. This latest incarnation, which succeeds Healthy People 2000, reflects recent advances in science and medicine, as well as emerging public health challenges. The working draft has been placed online specifically to promote public comment and input. Users are encouraged to submit their comments at the site or via surface mail until December 15, 1998. The final report will be issued January 2000. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Out of the Past--400 Years of Gay and Lesbian History--PBS [RealPlayer]
http://www.pbs.org/outofthepast/
PBS Online offers this site as a companion to the film Out of the Past. The Website follows the film's lead to link personal and national history, dividing the history of gays and lesbians into historical periods that could roughly correspond to stages of an individual's life: Keeping Secrets, 1600-1800, Finding Love, 1800-1900, etc. Each "era" features a timeline of events in gay and lesbian history juxtaposed with other historical events. For instance, in 1704, the site tells us, the Royal Governor was accused of dressing like a woman, Bach composed his First Cantata, and Massachusetts suffered from Franco-Indian raids. Clicking on the year brings forth a more detailed description, in some cases accompanied by a RealPlayer clip. The site offers a forum question inspired by each period; in the Puritan era, for example, the question is "Have you struggled to reconcile your sexuality and your religious beliefs?" Visitors can post their own responses or read others' stories. Those inspired to learn more should check out the bibliography in the Resources section. [TK]
[Back to Contents]

Two Astronomy Sites
Stars--Portraits of Stars and their Constellations
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/sow.html
Skylights
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/skylights.html
These two sites from Jim Kaler, a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Illinois, are geared towards amateur and budding astronomers. At the first site, Kaler offers detailed but non-technical descriptions of selected stars and a link to a photo of their respective constellations. Another section of the site, The Natures of Stars, consists of basic overviews of key concepts. The star descriptions are interesting to beginner and avid starwatchers alike, but the photos would benefit perhaps from superimposed arrows or other finding aids. The Stars site grows by one celestial body each week: the Star of the Week from Kaler's other site, Skylights. Skylights also provides a synopsis of astronomy news for the week and viewing tips. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

In the Light of the Menorah: Story of a Symbol [Windows 95 or NT platforms only; WebGlide]
http://www.imj.org.il/vrmenorah/
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem presents this virtual version of a major exhibition which opened at the Museum on Israel's 50th Independence Day. The exhibition uses items from the Museum's archaeological, Judaica, and fine arts collections to trace the history of the menorah, the seven-branched candelabrum that is both a sacred object and the national symbol of Israel. WebGlide, a movie player, allows virtual visitors to "walk" though the galleries and view the exhibition. Though the feeling is a little like seeing the exhibition through a porthole, the plug-in allows one to click on any item in the show and see an enlarged version and accompanying text, just like stopping in front of a display case to examine an artifact. [DS]
[Back to Contents]

The Science of Baseball [Shockwave, RealPlayer]
http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/
Another winning site from the Exploratorium in San Francisco, Science of Baseball teaches students of all ages, even adults, why a curve ball curves, how to throw a fast ball, and how to improve their swing, for starters. If they continue exploring, visitors will find out that women first played professional baseball in 1875, how baseball has adapted to Japanese culture, and why hitters love the thin air at Coors Field. Additional activities include the Baseball Time Machine and two interactive Shockwave exhibits. Finally, users who still want to know more can investigate the suggested links and bibliography. [KH]
[Back to Contents]

Acronym Finder
http://www.mtnds.com/af/
Provided by Mountain Data Systems, this site offers a searchable database containing over 60,000 acronyms/abbreviations and their meanings. The focus of the database is technology, telecommunications, and the military (perhaps because of the acronym-intensity of these fields), but many general topics are included, as well. Users can also search for acronyms related to a particular word or topic using the advanced search function. Search tips are provided. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Network Tools

Netscape Communicator 4.5 Preview Release Two
http://home.netscape.com/communicator/v4.5/index.html
The second preview release of Netscape's 4.5 Communicator is now available for downloading. As with the first beta version (discussed in the Scout Report for July 24, 1998). Version 4.5 PR2 offers "Smart Browsing," an integrated mail and news interface, and roaming access. The latest release also includes improved POP mail handling and the option to download newsgroup articles for offline perusal. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

UltraEdit and UltraEdit-32
http://www.idmcomp.com/index.html
UltraEdit is a very useful file editor that supports numerous different types of files and includes a wide variety of handy features. This "divinely inspired" program, created by IDM Computer Solutions, Inc., can edit any file and provide particular support for text and binary files. Among its more interesting features are configurable syntax highlighting for numerous programming languages, support for loading and saving files via FTP, DOS shell command execution, multiple editing buffers, and much more. UltraEdit's features, size, and usability all make it one of the best shareware editors available. UltraEdit and UltraEdit-32 run on Windows 3.x/95/NT and may be used freely for 45 days, after which time a $30 registration fee is required. [CL]
[Back to Contents]

Workstation Security
http://www.leeric.lsu.edu/lla/1998_conference/workstation/
Monica King, the Head of Reference at Ouachita Parish (LA) Public Library, put together this site, which is based on a paper she delivered at a recent Louisiana Library Association (LLA) Conference. The paper and the site address security issues for publicly accessed workstations. King outlines five broad security issues for libraries that offer Internet access and describes the hardware, software, and policy solutions her library system implemented. Additional resources include a modest bibliography and a collection of related links. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Where Are They Now

Volume 2, Number 20, September 15, 1995
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/.html
ArtsUSA [.pdf]
http://www.artsusa.org/
ArtsUSA, the Website of the American Council for the Arts (ACA), continues to serve as a major online resource for arts advocacy and awareness. In addition to membership and advocacy information, the site features relevant press releases, legislative updates, a comprehensive online catalog of publications for arts organizations and individuals committed to the arts, and the National Arts Policy Clearinghouse, a searchable bibliographic database containing over 5000 abstracts of documents on arts and culture in the US. [MD]
[Back to Contents]


The single phrase below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing any portion of this report, in any format.

From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1998.
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/

The paragraph below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing the entire report, in any format.

Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-1998. The Internet Scout Project (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/), located in the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about the Internet to the U.S. research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the entire Scout Report provided this paragraph, including the copyright notice, is preserved on all copies.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, or the National Science Foundation.


The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published weekly by Internet Scout
Susan Calcari
Michael de Nie
Travis Koplow
Aimee D. Glassel
Todd Hanson
Sheilah Harrington
Kathryn Harris
Christopher Lukas
Andrew Osmond
Laura X. Payne
Jeannine Ramsey
Mike Roszkowski
Debra Shapiro
Geraldine Wanserski
Megan Waters
Amy Tracy Wells
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
Managing Editor
Editor
Production Editor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor

Scout Report and Scout Report HTML Subscription Instructions

  • To receive the electronic mail version of the Scout Report each week, join the scout-report mailing list. This is the only mail you will receive from this list. Unsubscribing from the scout-report list can also be done at this site.

    http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/lists/

  • To receive the Scout Report in HTML format for local viewing and posting, subscribe to the scout-report-html mailing list, used exclusively to distribute the Scout Report in HTML format once a week. Unsubscribing from the scout-report list can also be done at this site.

    http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/lists/

The Scout Report's Web page:

http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) versions of the Scout Report:

http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/pdf/

[Back to Contents]


Internet Scout
A Publication of the Internet Scout Project

Comments, Suggestions, Feedback
Use our feedback form or send email to scout@cs.wisc.edu.

© 1999 Internet Scout Project
Information on reproducing any publication is available on our copyright page.